Literacy itself is full of little pieces that create the huge puzzle of someone being able to be considered literate. Determining literacy is not a simple task due to the vast number of scales that can be applied.
One significant factor is based on the surface defintion of literacy, which is having the ability to read and write. Reading is crucially underrated, reading allows you to unlock many types of texts, varying from reading a text message and being able to confirm someones thoughts, moods, or implications, to reading a poem and being able to interpret it in multiple ways or having the ability to explain it in a different circumstance.
The whole idea of interpretation, explaining the meaning of things can sometimes be very simple but, as you touch base with more complex works, the idea of interpreting something can rapidly become more difficult. Someone who is considered literate has enough self-knowledge to be able to detect patterns, along with connections to other works. As Thomas C. Foster stated in his work, "How To Read Literature Like A Professor," "The more connect-the-dots drawings you do, the more likely you are to recognize the design early on." In this passage, Foster is addressing predisposition in the sense of reaching the level of literacy in which you can already determine the results of your work based on the collection of works that you have experienced. Knowing where to look for you interpretations is a skill that a literate person uses frequently.
Therefore, to be a literate person you have to not only be able to read works, you have to be able to address every factor that is played into the work, along with being able to reflect and give a healthy explanation after completing it. Both interpreting and reflecting are the two key points in being considered literate; they are both significant in the sense of having all-around knowledge.
I really enjoyed your first analogy, comparing reading literature to a puzzle is very accurate because it is a mystery. When first opening a book anything is possible, but it is important to be able to interpret all of the random possibilities. All in all, I agree with your statement that in order to be literate must not only be able to read and comprehend on a high level, but you must also be able to draw out the meaning behind the story.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement “determining literacy is not a simple task due to the vast number of scales that can be applied.” Literacy can indeed be difficult to measure, but reading can certainly only help. I agree also with your statement that reading is crucially underrated, and it is true that interpretation is a very complex topic. Your conclusion that “to be a literate person you have to not only be able to read works, you have to be able to address every factor that is played into the work, along with being able to reflect and give a healthy explanation after completing it,” is incredibly true and should be something everyone strives to achieve.
ReplyDeleteI loved your puzzle-piece analogy to explain the complexity and mysteriousness of literacy. I agree with your philosophy of literacy being more than the ability to comprehend words and sentences on a page, because anyone with an elementary education can (should) comprehend words and sentences, but not necessarily identify the patterns, themes and overall message in a book, which is as much a part of the reading experience as comprehension
ReplyDeleteI really liked the puzzle piece picture. It was a good start to catch the reader's attention. The only thing I would have to add to this is that literacy involves being able to write as well as read. You did a good job of describing the quality of functional literacy in reading though. I agree completely with you on the fact that reading is more than knowing what word the letters form. It's about comprehending the text and being able to explain it after you've finished reading it, as well as noticing literary devices used throughout the text. Being literate is more than just completing a certain level of education.
ReplyDeleteI thought that your puzzle analogy was excellent and served as a very effective beginning to your response. I agree completely with your statement that, “Determining literacy is not a simple task due to the vast number of scales that applied.” Determining how literate someone really is can be very complicated due to a number of factors and I’m glad that you elaborated on many of these factors. I also really liked how you explained that literacy is more than just the ability to read and comprehend. Interpretation and reflection in literature are beyond important and I think it’s great that you brought up that point.
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